Courts / Dublin / Report

Air cargo compliance manager unfairly fired in wake of failed inspection wins €44k

Date
2024-11-18
Stage
Charge Or Pretrial
Primary locality
Dublin
County
Dublin

Summary

In November 2024, the Workplace Relations Commission ordered Swissport to pay €44,000 to Nicholas Collins, a compliance manager with nearly twenty years of service, after finding his dismissal unfair. Collins was terminated in December 2023 following a failed security inspection by the Irish Aviation Authority (IAA). The inspection, conducted on 3 October 2023, revealed issues with eight employees' security clearances. Swissport halted cargo dispatch on 4 October to comply with IAA regulations, but a subsequent inspection on 6 October confirmed compliance. Collins claimed he had no knowledge of cargo being sent during the unvalidated period and that he was not informed of any investigation. He was not given a written statement of terms and conditions when promoted in 2018. The tribunal found Swissport breached the Unfair Dismissals Act 1977 and the Terms of Employment (Information) Act 1994, awarding Collins €40,000 plus €4,443.60 for the missing statement.

Who, what, where, when and why

What: Report matter: Air cargo compliance manager unfairly fired in wake of failed inspection wins €44k. Procedural stage: charge_or_pretrial

When:

Why: In order to deal with the situation and stay in compliance, management at the firm decided to stop dispatching cargo from the facility on Wednesday 4 October at five minutes to midnight, ahead of the expiry of the IAA validation. CNI source report

Places mentioned

Secondary Mention

Topics

Stage Charge Or Pretrial

Related court reports

Read the original CNI report

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